“Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things.”
This is how “Summer Wine” begins, the famous song by composer Lee Hazlewood and performed by Nancy Sinatra, which tells a love story through the metaphor of wine. A song that, in particular, sets the tone for the relationship between wine and music. This is a good example, but not the only one. There are many great ones.
“Red, Red Wine,” recorded in 1968 by Neil Diamond, although masterfully covered by UB40 in 1983, is an ode to wine and its effects in helping to forget heartbreak.
“Wine, Women and Song” (1963), by Elvis Presley, is another classic song in which wine joins money and love.
“I Toast to Women,” from 1993 by Los Rodríguez, is a tribute to life, with wine as the drink used to toast—highlighting wine as a source of happiness.
In Spain, we also have a good number of examples, as expected given our winemaking tradition. Songs such as “Bitter Wine” by Rafael Farina, or “Sighs of Spain” by Estrellita Castro, paved the musical way. More recently, we have “Red Wine” by Estopa; “The Spirit of Wine” by Héroes del Silencio; or “Love of Wine” by Celtas Cortos, with its famous chorus:
“One thing is wine and another thing is love. But if you put them together, love for wine is born.”
On another note, there is the influence of music on winemaking. There are quite a few wineries where, during aging, musical pieces are played in search of beneficial effects—though these are not scientifically proven.
I turn up the volume and keep listening to Nancy Sinatra’s voice with the wonderful “Summer Wine”:
“Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things
Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time
And I will give you my summer wine.”